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Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 11 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Photo by Mark Vaughn

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 22 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 77 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Photo by Mark Vaughn

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 88 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Photo by Mark Vaughn

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 99 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 1313 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Photo by Mark Vaughn

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 1414 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

Photo by Mark Vaughn

Women's Motorcycle Show Photo 1515 of 17Women could be the best hope for the motorcycle industry's future and the Women's Motorcycle Show in Los Angeles was a great way to get more of them involved in riding.

17 of 17Next Gallery: 2018 Honda Gold Wing could be the future of motorcycles

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This LA street show is a celebration of women in motorcycling

Third annual Women’s Motorcycle Show partied down on the edge of downtown LA

February 2, 2018

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As the motorcycle industry continues to confront its future, with both declining ridership and sales, it would do well to consider a potential 100 percent market increase: female riders. They are out there and they’d be happy to buy more bikes; a gentle nudge in that direction and maybe some attempts to reach them are all that’s needed. One of the best such outreaches yet was the third annual Women’s Motorcycle Show at the 3,000-square-foot Lucky Wheels Garage on the edge of downtown LA. Held a few weeks ago, the show was organized to get women to consider two wheels instead of four.

“It’s about time,” said the show’s organizer, Alicia Elfving. “Women make some awesome stuff.”

There were 27 custom motorcycles on display from California, Texas and even Mexico City, “built for or by women with an emphasis on customization specific to ladies’ needs and wants for their type of riding,” Elfving said. “The point? To say, ‘Hey, we’re here and we love to ride, too.’”

On the street in front of Lucky Wheel, as well as on the sidewalks and in the space between the double/double yellow lines in the middle of the street were an estimated 600-plus motorcycles. Elfving’s “conservative estimate” put attendance at 1,500.

Alicia Elfving, aka "The Moto Lady," organized the show with a cast of thousands.

“Women will spend a lot of time and energy creating the exact riding experience they want, both in terms of their bike and their gear -– some just need to be shown that it’s possible,” said Elfving. “Far too often the words ‘my bike isn’t good enough for a show’ are uttered by a woman. Sometimes ladies need that extra push to feel confident enough to put themselves in the limelight, especially in the still-male-dominated world of motorcycling. The hope is that the Women’s Motorcycle Show helps that, by surrounding them with like-minded, badass people who support diversity in the two-wheeled world.”

Motorcycle gear makers have long offered sizes just for women, and some manufacturers are making bikes that are more accessible to women, too.

“Smaller motorcycles for women riders takes away some of the intimidation factor,” said Elfving.

The venue, the Lucky Wheels Garage, was the perfect place for an event that included customized bikes. It’s a do-it-yourself garage where you can rent a motorcycle lift for $35 a day and get whatever tools you need to work on your own bike. At the show, there were demonstrations of welding, blacksmithing and pinstriping, all taught by women.

“We put the tools in their hands and hopefully get them excited about the art,” said MIG welder Jessi Combs, who gave welding demos throughout the evening.

“It’s a really cool scene,” said Robert Pandya, who worked at Indian Motorcycles for many years and now promotes the industry through a variety of shows and causes. One event, aimed at women, is the Suffragists Centennial Motorcycle Ride, a cross-country event celebrating the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The commemorative ride is scheduled to run from July to August in 2020, which gives you lots of time to get a bike.

So if you know any women, consider talking to them about riding a bike. If you are a woman, why not look into a ride sometime? The industry needs you! And it's fun, too.